Centering device for car couplers



Dec. 14, 1943. w. J. METZGE R C ENTER ING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 1'7, 1941 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WI/ t I, lam 1 er ATTORNEY &

Dec. 14, 1943. w. J. MET ZGER 2,335,943

7 CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct'. 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l llll 1/111! tr ,1: INVENTOR ATTORNEY V Patented Dec. 14, 1943 CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS William J. Metzger, Euclid, Dhio, assignor to National 'Malleable and Steel Castings Company, leveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 1'7, 1941, Serial No. 415,395

11 Claims.

This invention relates to centering devices for railway car couplers and more particularly to a centering device of the releasable type.

In the past couplers provided with centering devices have been subject to damage during attempted coupling of cars on curves. Since a centering device maintains a free coupler in central position, if the curve on which two cars to be coupled are located is of sufilciently small radius, the mating couplers may not be within their gathering range and may be damaged by jack-knifing or otherwise, as the cars come together. Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a centering device which is quickly releasable from its functioning relationship with respect to the coupler to permit angling thereof to any desired position and thereby enable proper coupling on curved tracks. Another object is to provide a novel releasable centering device for car couplers which is simple in construction and which is automatically locked into normal operative position upon return of the coupler to centered position from a released angled position.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view partly in section of a centering device embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section, taken along line 22 of Fig. 3.

Figure 3 is an end View of the construction shown in Fig. l, the carrier iron being shown in section.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of'the device.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the lock member removed.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the centering spring yoke member.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary plan view of the lock member; and

Figure 8 is an end view of the lock member.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown the carrier iron It upon which the resilient supporting mechanism H is slidably mounted. The coupler I2 is carried by this mechanism the various features of which are described and claimed inmy copending application Serial No. 347,342, filed July 24, 1940. The carrier iron I0 is provided with support flanges I3 which are received in recesses i l in the vertical support columns l5. Bolts It secure the carrier iron to the columns and are relieved of vertical load by flanges I 3. Although the carrier iron is shown as a separate member it is to be understood that it may be formed integral with columns l5 without departing from the spirit of the invention. The carrier iron is formed with horizontal top and bottom walls l7 and I3 respectively and a vertical connecting side wall l9. Within the recess formed by these walls is positioned the centering spring 2i each end thereof engaging the space abutments or stop flanges 2i and, 22. Embracing spring 20 is the yoke member 23, the end portions 2% thereof fitting between the ends of flanges 2! and 22 and thus permitting longitudinal sliding of the yoke relative to the carrier iron against the compression of the spring. The yoke is formed with side straps 25 and 26, strap 25 being received within a recess 27 in side Wall l9. The top and bottom walls of the carrier iron are recessed as at 28 and St? to receive side strap 26 of the yoke. It will be observed that strap 26 serves to complete the enclosure of spring 253, precluding entry of any foreign matter into the spring chamber as would interfere with the operation of the device.

The saddle member which is adapted to slide along top wall I! of the carrier iron has depending flanges 3E and 3'! embracing the latter and serving to maintain the saddle in position thereon as the coupler angles in service. Flange 31 being adjacent strap 26 of the yoke serves to hold the latter in place within the carrier iron. At each end of flange 311 there is provided an integral bracket 33 for pivotal mounting of the lock member 39. Lugs fill which project from the horizontally extending body portion 4| of the lock member are adapted to be received by brackets 38, the pivotal connection being made by means of bolts 52 carried in the brackets and extending through apertures in the lugs. Each of lugs is formed with a stop 34 adapted to engage bracket 38 as at to limit upward movement of the lock member when the latter is operated to release the saddle from the influence of spring 20. At each end of the lock member is an operating handle N for manipulation of the device from either side of the coupler.

In order to lock the yoke and saddle from relative movement therebetween so that centering spring 26 will be in operative relation therewith, stop lugs 46 on the yoke and projections 4'! on the lock member are provided. In locked position of member 39 projections it are positioned adjacent the ends of lugs 455, and as the saddle member slides along the carrier iron in response to horizontal angling of the coupler the freely moved along the carrier ironto any angled position of the coupler desired within the range of movement of the saddle member. In this released position of the device the yoke remains stationary as the saddle member is moved along the carrier iron. Handles 43 may be used to move the saddle member in addition to being used to operate the lock member during releasing of the centering device. Furthermore, once the saddle member has been disengaged from the yoke and displaced from central positionhandles 43 which previously had been raised may be dropped to reposed position, after which no further atten- I tion need be given to the lock member, and. the

parts will become locked automatically when the coupler reaches its central position. This action is made possible by sloping the sides of lugs 46 on the yokefrom near the outer ends thereof to the side of strap 26, as at ,38. .Thus with the device disengaged and the saddle moved along the carrier iron so that one of" projections Al is located intermediate lugs 46 and in engagement with the side of strap 26, upon movement of the saddle toward central position, portion 49 of handle 33 or projection 41 will slide along surface 48, causing the lock member to pivot upwards. This raising of the lockmember continues until the saddle reaches central position at which point the lock member will drop into normal locked position with projections 41 in engageable relation with lugs 15, as shown particularly in Fig. 4. It will be observed that in all operative positions of the lock member the preponderance of the weight thereof is located outwardly of pivots 42 and therefore acts to return the member to locked position and to maintain it therein.

' The terms and expressions which I have mployed are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

joke for releasably connecting said saddle to said yoke.

2. A centering device comprising acarrier iron having a recess therein, a saddle slidablymounted on said carrier iron and adapted to support a coupler, a spring positioned between stops in said recess and adapted to be placed under compressiontherein, amember mounted in said recess embracing said spring and adapted to compress the latter upon moving relative to said carrier iron in a direction away from its central position, and means on said saddle adapted to be moved into and out of engageable relation to said member for releasably connecting said saddle to said member.

3. In a centering device a carrier iron, a saddle slidably mounted on said carrier and adapted to support a coupler, a spring carried by said carrier iron and positioned between stops therein, a yoke carried by said carrier iron embracing said spring and adapted to slide relative to said carrier iron against the compression of said spring, and releasable means on said saddle and yoke in one position connecting said saddle and yoke and in another position allowing movement of said saddle on said carrier'iron without compressing said springs.

4. In a centering device a carrier iron having a recess therein, a saddle slidably mounted on said carrier, iron and adapted to support a coupler, stop means in said recess, spring means in said recess engaging said stop means, a member mounted in said recess slidably mounted with respect to said carrier iron and adapted to compress said spring during movement of said member away from its central position, and releasable means movably mounted on said saddle adapted in one position to engage said member to cause the saddle to move said member against the compression of said spring during sliding of said saddle on said carrier iron and adaptedin another position to allow sliding movement of said saddle on said carrier iron without compressing said spring.

-5. In a centering device a carrier iron having top and bottom horizontal walls and a vertical connecting side wall, a saddle slidably mounted on said top wall and adapted to support a coupler, a spring carried by said carrier iron positioned between said top and bottom walls, abutment means fixed to said carrier iron and engaging the ends of said spring, a member slidably mounted ,Within said carrier iron engaging the ends of on. said carrier iron and adapted'to support a coupler, a spring positioned between stops in said recess and adapted to be placed under compression therein, a member mounted in said recess embracing said spring and adapted to compress the latter upon moving relative to said carrier iron in a direction away from its central position,

and means releasably connecting said saddlev to said member, said means comprising stops on said member and a lock member pivotally attached to said saddle adapted to engage said stops to lock said member and said saddle from relative movement therebetween.

7. A centering device comprising acarrier iron having a recess therein, a saddle slidably mounted on said carrier iron and adapted to support a coupler, a spring positioned between stops in said recess and adapted to be placed under compression therein, a member mounted in said recess embracing said spring and adapted to compress thelatter upon moving relative to said carrier iron in a direction away from its. central position,

and means releasably connecting said saddle to said member, said means comprising a lock member pivotally attached to said saddle and adapted to engage said first named member to lock the latter from movement relative to said saddle.

8. In a centering device a carrier iron, a saddle slidably mounted on said carrier iron and adapted to support a coupler, spring means positioned between stops in said carrier iron for normally maintaining said saddle in central position, a member carried by said carrier iron embracing said spring and adapted to compress the latter upon movement of said member relative to said carrier iron, and means pivotally attached to said saddle and adapted when in lowered position to engage said member to lock said saddle and said member from relative movement therebetween and when in raised position to disconneot said saddle from said member.

9. In a centering device a carrier iron, a saddle slidably mounted On said carrier iron and adapted to support a coupler, a yoke, a spring positioned between stops in said carrier iron for centering said yoke, means for releasably connecting said saddle and said yoke, said means comprising stop lugs on said yoke and a pivotally mounted lock member on said saddle adapted to engage said lugs when said member is in locked position, each of said lugs having a sloped surface thereon, and means on said look member adapted upon movement of said saddle from released displaced position toward locked position to engage saidsloped surface of one of said lugs to cause said lock member to pivot upwards to enable the same to drop into locked position when said saddle is in central poistion.

10. In a centering device a carrier iron, stop means on said carrier iron, spring means engaging said stop means, a yoke engaging the ends of said spring means, a coupler supporting member slidabiy mounted on said carrier iron, and means on said supporting member adapted to engage said yoke to compress said spring means upon sliding movement of said supporting member on said carrier iron, from its central position said last named means comprising a member mounted on said supporting member adapted to be moved into and out of engageable relation with said yoke.

11. In a centering device a carrier iron, a coupler supporting member slidably mounted on said carrier iron, a yoke carried by said carrier iron slidable relative thereto, spring means positioned between stops in said carrier iron for normally centering said yoke, stop lugs on said yoke, brack ets on said member, a lock member pivoted to said brackets and embracing said lugs when in locked position to lock said yoke and supporting member from relative movement therebetween, and means on said lock member for pivoting the latter to unlocked position, allowing said supporting member to move relative to said yoke.

WILLIAM J. METZG-ER. 

